


Finding a New Clan

by JustAndrea



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Fighting Crime, Fitting In, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Death, Mention of Kidnapping, Sparring, Spoilers for S2 finale, Teen Angst, Vigilantism, if there's anything else I need to tag let me know, making new friends, slumber party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:06:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26075365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Making a heel turn is easy, even for a now-ex member of the Foot Clan.But finding your own place within your new clan and making new friends? That's a bit tougher. Then again, Casey Jones has never been one to say no to a challenge.
Relationships: Casey Jones & April O'Neil (TMNT), Casey Jones & Michelangelo (TMNT), Casey Jones & Raphael (TMNT), Casey Jones & Splinter (TMNT)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 84





	Finding a New Clan

**Author's Note:**

> ...Well, this took a bit longer than expected, lol. I just hope it's not TOO long and that you guys like it. Casey/Recruit is one of the best characters from RotTMNT, and I really hope that my writing did her justice. Anyway, enjoy!

It was a relief that, when they returned to the ruins of Draxum’s castle, she saw no signs of her senseis - corpses or otherwise. Casey let herself relax a bit at this, her remaining guilt for abandoning them waning ever so slightly.

Using Draxum’s vines, Leo’s new swords, Mikey’s nunchucks with their infinitely-stretching chains, and Donnie’s battle shell, they were able to make it to the rocky edge where the two cities met and climb up the rest of the way through the destroyed Hamato lair.

Casey gripped her spear/makeshift hockey stick in her hands, still somewhat on guard as she waited for her turn to begin climbing. With most of their group already scaling the freshly created opening between the mystic realm and the sewers of New York, it’s only her and O’Neil left. 

She still remembered how the other girl had glared at her as they haggled between Lou Jitsu and a bundle of cash - reasonable, given that Casey had been giving her a sharp glare of her own. But then, during a random split second where their eyes just so happen to accidentally meet… O’Neil smiled at her. 

Casey’s grip on her spear tightened, but she did manage to give the other girl a polite nod in return. Eventually, the red turtle called down to them, letting them know that Donatello says it’s stable enough for them to start climbing. Despite the lack of any sort of safety net and their own sore muscles, neither girl hesitated. 

The air was admittedly heavy as they moved through the absolutely obliterated lair, but none of them slowed down. After all, they still had one final part of their mission to complete. It was only when they finally reached the empty streets of the city, the skyline and sidewalks still tinted with red thanks to the darkened sun, that O’Neil decided to say something.

“So… That was pretty cool,” Casey heard her say, “What you did back there, I mean. If it weren’t for you… We might not have been able to save Splints in time.”

“...” Casey looked away, though there’s no shame in her face - none directed towards her decision to help, at least. “I couldn’t just let him die,” she said simply, “Not after…” Her words trailed off, leaving subtext in silence.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed O’Neil smiling at her again. This time, it’s softer and maybe just a bit sheepish. “I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot- er, no pun intended. But... maybe we can start over?” She held out her hand.

Lou Jitsu’s words echoed in the back of her mind: _“See how much you have in common? You both strive for greatness...”_

“...I- I guess that’s fine,” Casey replied, staring at the offered hand for just a second or two before taking it, her grip firm. O’Neil - _April’s_ smile grew as they shook, the two of them sharing a private moment as their group continued walking ahead towards the Empire State Building.

After letting each other go, April started to walk ahead, wanting to catch up to her family - but stopped again when she heard Casey call out to her. “Hey!” Turning around, she saw Casey looking away again, but as reluctant as she is to speak, she didn't stop herself, making her words and tone firm and genuine as she spoke. “You… You fight well. And, I admire your impressive skills.”

“...” April chuckled. “Thanks. You fight good too. Which reminds me - after all this craziness has been taken care of and we’ve had some time to relax… You wanna spar or something?” 

Admittedly, she had been itching for a fight with the recruit ever since the brownies incident, and while most of her anger from that day was gone, a part of her still sort of wanted to see for herself what Casey could do.

Casey stared at her, and then smirked. “It would be my pleasure,” she told her, her arms subconsciously shifting her hockey-spear into an attack position.

“Hey!” they heard Mikey shout back at them, “You guys good back there?” April quickly yelled back, saying that they were fine, and the two of them broke into a light jog in order to catch up. 

Within an hour, the eight of them are standing on one of the highest points in the city - a city that Baron Draxum quickly returns to its natural, populated state. (After a lame fake-out joke, that is, which Casey rolled her eyes at.)

With her impromptu mission complete, Casey decided to go her own way and said her goodbyes, allowing Lou Jitsu and his sons to try and figure out where they could set up temporary shelter for the night in privacy. 

It’s another long walk to her apartment, and it’s only when her aunt grabs her the very _moment_ she walks through the door, hugging her tightly and scolding her for scaring her so badly, that Casey realizes just how long she’s been gone…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Casey supposed that she couldn’t really blame her aunt for being so clingy, but being grounded to their apartment still annoyed her to no end. Thankfully, after about a week of lockdown, she was able to sneak out when Angel made a grocery run. 

Admittedly, Casey had been fairly worried that her senseis - _former_ senseis, she reminded herself - would have left in that time. Then again, with their injuries, they couldn’t really move too fast even with mystic portals.

Still, she was relieved when she found them back at the abandoned Foot Shack, slowly chipping away at packing up any artifacts and leftover merchandise that they wanted to keep. Of course they had been surprised to see her - the world hadn’t fallen and the Shredder was no more, so what purpose did she have there?

When Casey bowed deeply to them, the Foot Lt. quickly figured it out. “You’re leaving,” he stated.

“I am,” she nodded, her fists shaking slightly at her sides. 

She could tell that the Lieutenant was a bit disappointed, but not necessarily angry. Brute was a bit more emotional, asking her if she was sure and getting a bit upset when she told him she had already found a new clan, but he didn’t try to argue or force her to stay either. It would have been pointless, all things considered. It was a sad truth that they had already accepted days ago: The Foot Clan was no more.

Shredder was gone for good, their remaining clan members left months ago when it became obvious that they weren’t going to get any answers from their ancient scrolls as to why their master wasn’t himself (the fact that they weren’t getting paid probably helped too…), and the Lieutenant and Brute were the only Foot Monks left that carried the sacred Foot Flame. 

The Lieutenant knew there was no reason for the lone recruit to stay, even if he was still a bit sad to see her go after several years of observing her and training. Cassandra always was a little different from the other recruits. Whether that had been an advantage or disadvantage, Lt. still wasn’t sure.

Either way, he wasn’t going to try and stop her. It would have been hypocritical anyway, considering the plans he and Brute had. As much as they still would have loved to see the modern world brought to its knees, 500 years of servitude to the forces of evil really took a lot out of a guy! Technically they should have retired centuries ago, and a road trip (one where they didn’t have to spend time looking for ancient armor) around the world seemed like a good way to run out their golden years. Who knows, maybe they’d end up finding another evil clan to join. A lieutenant could dream.

Having said her piece, Casey finally relaxed enough for the melancholy of the moment to wash over her. It didn’t last though, and she pouted slightly when she felt the huge hand of Foot Brute on her head. “Take care of yourself, okay kid?” he told her, giving her an affection pat or two, just as he always had when she was younger.

“I will,” Casey told him firmly, even managing a small smile. Brute nodded back before turning away, not wanting her to see the shininess of his eyes. 

The Lieutenant then stepped forward, bowing to her - a gesture Casey both understood and appreciated, her heart tightening a bit at the sight of it. He was no longer her commanding officer, and if they were going off fighting skills alone, she was clearly his equal. Besides, after all the hard and enthusiastic (maybe a bit TOO enthusiastic) work she put into their clan, she deserved a respectful goodbye. “May the Shredder watch over your journey.”

Casey had to hold back a scoff. Shredder was gone, and even if he wasn’t, she didn’t want the demon’s blessing. Still, she bowed back to her former sensei, silently accepting his goodbye. 

Maybe they didn’t always see her potential, even holding her back at some points to infuriating degrees, often encouraging her only to then tell her to “dial it back” a bit or find other passions instead of only focusing on combat. Those moments really were frustrating, like she was wrong just for doing what they had recruited her to do! 

...But they had also been her teachers and her companions on the battlefield, and on occasion the ones who would treat her to a falafel or an ice cream after a particularly hard night. She didn’t regret her decision to leave, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still miss them. Even if they didn’t always support her own unique methods, they were still the ones who gave her an opportunity to prove herself - to try and BE herself - all those years ago.

Without another word, Casey went back up the long flight of stairs and out the Foot Shack’s back door. She breathed in the cool night air, the last of her tension melting off her shoulders. Not wanting to worry her aunt again, Casey broke into a sprint down the street. With each step, she couldn’t help but feel a bit lighter.

When she got back home, Aunt Angel was still out, so Casey took her time getting changed. Folding up her uniform she placed it on the top shelf of her closet, right next to the old, worn pair of pink heelys her father had bought her when she was six. Once she was in her favorite pair of sweatpants and a cozy hoodie, Casey went back out to the living room and let herself stretch out on the couch.

The city outside the window was just as busy and bright as ever. She tried not to think about all that would have been lost, had the Shredder actually won. She hadn’t thought about it when she had first decided to join the Foot’s efforts in resurrecting him, only ever considering the power and strength they could have and the coolness of an actual demon, so why start now?

So instead, she tried to think about what she could do now. Michelangelo had already texted her earlier, saying that their new home was almost done and that “of course you’re invited to our lair-warming party!!!” She thought about all that she could learn from training with the Turtles and April and Lou Jitsu, and she thought about all she could do now that she no longer had the duties of a clan attached to her.

Casey smiled, her fists clenching once more at the burst of determination that ran up her spine and spread throughout her body. Look out New York, she thought to herself, Casey Jones is coming for you!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

_A man smiles down at her, holding her hand tightly. He then cheers her on as she skates away from him. She loves the speed, the rush, the power - and not even accidentally hitting him with her new hockey stick can ruin either of their good moods._

_The same man smiles again as she flips her opponent onto their back, winning her first match at her first competition at the tender age of seven. Martial arts is just as fun as she thought it would be when she first begged to sign up for classes at Bradford dojo, and the small, gold-plated medal now hanging off her neck is only a bonus._

_Of course, not everyone sees a girl with short hair and roughed up clothes in a good light. She hears the whispers, the scoffs, the critiques. She tries her best to ignore them or yell back at them, but when they finally get to be too much, the man is there to hold her. “There’s nothing wrong with being a tomboy,” he assures her, his arms feeling strong around her._

_When she finally manages to agree with his sentiments, smiling and feeling brave once more, he sets her down. When she turns to look at him, he’s already fading away. She tries to grab his hand, but there’s nothing left there to grab._

Casey jolted awake, gasping as she sat up. She was still on the couch, with an old blanket that her aunt had probably put over her when she had gotten home. It took a bit, but she did manage to calm herself down enough to lay back down. It’s hard to get back to sleep though. She can still smell the smoke.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The new lair was as awesome as the Turtles had claimed. Casey hadn’t been able to get a good look at the place the first (and only) time she had visited their old home, for obvious reasons, but she still briefly recognized a couple features. There was plenty of spray paint on the walls, most of which was a work-in-progress according to Mikey.

“I still have a limited supply of paint at the moment,” he had told her when she first noticed the art, “So I can’t really go crazy, but I wanted to get some stuff up at least.” His smile then softened. “I’d love to do a mural too…”

“Considering your namesake, I’m not too surprised,” Casey had replied, making Mikey laugh. 

“Heh, yeah, guess so! But yeah, even after I get all the paint I need, it’ll probably take me months to do. Maybe longer, but I think it’ll be worth it.” She hadn’t seen much of the orange turtle’s art yet, but with how passionate he seemed about it, it didn’t take much for Casey to consider it a worthy goal too.

There were plenty of other features too that the brothers were happy enough with, even if they weren’t technically finished. A skate ramp that was at least twice as tall as their previous one, an actual dojo space that was separate from the garage, a small shrine dedicated to fallen Hamato Clan members, a new lab that Donnie still had a lot of work to do on - as far as Casey could tell, there was only a couple computers, some tools and some assorted drone parts in there - and of course, a space for movie watching, complete with a digital projector and a laptop filled with semi-legally downloaded films.

“I still say we should have tried to find a projector that still uses film reels,” Splinter mumbled as he got into his new recliner, “You just can’t replicate the look and sound of classic cinema with a digital projector.” Still, once the opening credits to Hot Soup Forever start to roll and his family gives a cheer, his grumpiness quickly melts away.

Casey made sure to watch each film in their lair-warming marathon intently, sitting up at each action scene as she studied Lou Jitsu’s unique and highly skilled moves. She also made sure to shush Draxum whenever he tried to make a comment or critique, often doing so loudly enough that it might have been mistaken for a hiss. (Okay, maybe she was still a bit annoyed at the ‘assistant’ comment from months ago, but she wasn’t apologizing for it.)

Eventually though, they switch from Lou Jitsu to Jupiter Jim, and Casey almost immediately loses interest. Still feeling a bit peckish, Casey got up and stretched a bit before heading over to the kitchen. She was almost certain that any leftover pizza and snacks they had was either cold or stale, but eh, she’d had worse.

Sure enough, there was one slice of pepperoni and green pepper pizza left. When she heard footsteps coming up behind her, Casey quickly grabbed the slice and bit into it, claiming it as her own. Thankfully, the person behind her wasn’t interested in fighting her for the last slice.

“Hey, CJ,” April casually greeted.

“...Hey,” Casey nodded back. After a moment, she added, “If you need something, I could have gotten it for you, you’re missing your movie.”

“Eh,” April shrugged, “I don’t mind.”

“I thought you liked Jupiter Jim?” 

“I do, but I’ve seen Seven Galaxies before. It’s not really my thing, even if it’s not the worst,” she told her, “Besides, I know we haven’t really had much time to hang out yet, so I just thought I’d see if you were up for a little one-on-one time. If you’re okay with that, I mean.”

“...I don’t mind,” Casey told her, setting the rest of her slice on a paper plate. They gathered up a couple other snacks and some pop before sitting down at the kitchen table. Noticing one of the homemade brownies she had brought over on April’s plate, she smirked a little. “So you finally admit defeat?”

April smirked back. “Not on your life, Jones. Brownies may be good, but cookies will always reign supreme.”

“Blasphemy,” Casey insisted, though there’s no real bite or venom in her voice. The girls shared a bit of a laugh before settling back down. Across the lair from the TV room, they heard the boys cheer at something while Draxum exclaimed something in disbelief, no doubt trying to figure out how sci-fi physics work.

“So… How have you been holding up?” April asked, feeling just a bit awkward. Talking to a former enemy was easy, but doing so while also trying to actually be nice and not just drag them? Not as easy.

Thankfully, Casey wasn’t offended by the question. “I’ve been fine. Though, it’s nice to actually be able to leave my home again, ugh.”

“Heh, your folks freaked out about the whole ‘kidnapped by a shadow’ thing?”

“My aunt, Angel. And yeah, she definitely freaked out...” 

Months ago, she’d had no issues sneaking out to train or complete her clan duties, given that Angel worked two jobs and slept in-between. As long as Casey completed her homeschool work and turned it in on time, there was never really a question about what she did in her spare time. But as distant and unobservant as her aunt sometimes was, even she couldn’t miss Casey suddenly going missing.

“Ah,” April nodded again, offering a bit of sympathy, “I’m glad she let you out then. I was kinda lucky on that front, since my parents were in the orb. As far as they know, I was stuck in there the whole time too.”

Casey raised an eyebrow at that. “You haven’t told them about your battle, or the Turtles?”

“Did you ever tell your aunt about the Foot?” April shot back.

“...” Casey huffed, slouching a bit in her seat as her eyes wandered back to her plate of snacks. “Well played, O’Neil.”

“...Why’d you join the Foot anyway?” April asked. Casey didn’t answer, instead crushing a potato chip she had just picked up between her fingertips. “...Right, sorry, that’s none of my business. Change of subject, what else do you like to do? Besides fighting, I mean.”

As innocent as the question was, Casey still stiffened slightly at it. _Besides_ … A subtle reminder of just how abnormal her passion was to most people. “I like hockey,” she mumbled, “Used to be part of a team in middle school… I still hang out with them sometimes.” Though, that was only when she had a weekend off from training or whenever the Lt. pissed her off enough to blow off training. Her main focus had still been on her clan, making these visits with her old friends few and far between, but they had still been nice.

“Hockey’s pretty cool,” April said, bringing Casey back to the present, “Pretty exciting too, I can see why you’d like it. Though, in terms of sports that I like to play, baseball’s a little more my thing.”

Casey smiled. “Baseball’s fine. It has its own merits, and I think we both know how effective a bat can be in combat.”

“No doubt, no one messes with the girl with a bat” April laughed, raising her can of pop to that statement. As she took a sip, she tried to think of other hobbies and interests she could mention. “I’m kinda into fantasy,” she admitted a bit sheepishly. Still, she tried to play it cool, and act like she _didn’t_ geek out about awesome wizard cosplay or play fantasy RPGs on the nights where she just wanted to chill. “And I guess you already know that I like laser tag, and uh… huh. I guess that’s pretty much it...”

Casey sat up a little in her seat. Maybe they really were similar. “...I- I really only focus on training, and sometimes hockey,” she said stiffly, scoffing a bit, “I mean, those two things are pretty much my _life_ , but…”

“...But you don’t see it as a bad thing?” April finished for her. Casey bit her lip slightly as she watched the girl across from her, and after a moment, April smiled back at her. “You know what? I don’t think it’s a bad thing either.” She had accepted her own weirdness long ago, so it was easy enough to accept someone else’s quirks and die-hard passions.

As if realizing this, Casey relaxed once more, smiling slightly at the pigtailed girl in return.

Continuing to eat as they talked, the two of them tried to keep their conversation going for as long as possible. April briefly shared her dreams of getting into journalism one day as well as the misadventures of trying to take care of a teleporting dog-cat thingy. Casey had plenty of stories to share too, most of them focused on her early training days in the Foot, or the shenanigans she and her old hockey team would get into.

The time they spent sitting with each other seemed to go by in an instant, and they only really stopped talking when their yawns became too frequent to ignore. Still, as far as the two of them had been concerned, there was nothing stopping them from hanging out again as soon as possible.

After all, Casey thought to herself as she settled back into the beanbag she had claimed earlier, the snores of the Turtles all around her, she still owed April that spar...

()()()()()()()()()()()()() 

“Come on, where is it?!” Casey huffed, tossing another emptied box to the side. Honestly, their closets weren’t even that big, so how did they have so much stuff in them? She had already searched her own closet to no success, but Angel had assured her that they still had it somewhere, so it was up to Casey to keep searching. If she didn’t find it soon, she’d have to trudge down to their building’s basement storage, and she REALLY didn’t want to do that.

Thankfully, luck was on Casey’s side, for when she opened the last box in her aunt’s closet, she saw her old hockey pads staring back at her. Grinning, she tossed the pads aside and dug through old jerseys and tees to find what had, admittedly, been her favorite part of her old team uniform.

“Hmmm…” She ran her finger along the old plastic of her goalie mask. It still looked fairly intimidating, though there were a couple more cracks and scuffs in it than she remembered. She’d have to repair those. Still, the mask brought back plenty of positive memories. 

Goalie had always been one of her favorite positions during games, with her own impeccable skills allowing her to block nearly all shots and her teammates appreciating her ferocity and determination when it came to catching and stopping pucks. Though, if she recalled correctly, this appreciation didn’t always transfer when she played other positions...

_“Jones, how many times do I have to tell you? I know hockey’s supposed to be rough, but this isn’t a battlefield, kid!”_

_“Geez, CJ, I can’t believe you actually broke their legs.” “Yeah, don’t you think you went a little far? Like, I- I know we won, but…”_

_“Come on, Casey, chill out!” “Yeah, you don’t want Coach to bench you again, do you?”_

_“Heh, remind me to never play on a team against you, Jones. I’d rather live, thanks.”_

_“Casey, it’s fine, really. Just… try to hold back a little next time.” “Don’t worry, Casey, I’m sure you’ll be let back onto the team next year!”_

Casey scowled down at the mask in her lap. A part of her couldn’t really blame them for their concerns - no middle schooler wanted to see their friend arrested and taken to juvie for assault. Unfortunately, between having to hold back in games and being limited to simple spars instead of actual combat for her first few years of training, her anger and frustrations and ‘quirks’ (as some called them) would often boil over at the worst possible times.

On the plus side, it made convincing her aunt to let her switch to homeschooling a lot easier… Speaking of which- “Sweetie, did you find your mask?” she heard Angel yell from the living room.

“Yes, Aunt Angel,” Casey called back, “Thanks.” It didn’t matter - like she kept telling herself, this was a fresh start. Things were going to be different, and if there was one good thing about being part of the Hamato Clan, it was acceptance.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It took another week or so before she had the opportunity to go on her first mission with the Turtles. Good thing too, because she had been dying of boredom at home, trying to force herself into making another dent in the schoolwork that had piled up during her kidnapping. 

(There really should be some sort of excuse for that sort of thing, but alas, apparently even students taken by a mystic shadow still had to complete assignments on geometry and U.S. History.)

She had been glaring down at her workbook when suddenly, she had gotten an alert on her cell phone. According to Mikey, a gang of pickpocketers they hadn’t seen in a while had taken to breaking into cars and homes for cash and other items, so now it was up to them to take them out before too much more damage could be done. April had a shift at her newest part-time job, but the Turtles were on their way and wanted to know if she wanted to give them some back-up.

“Finally!” she shouted as she texted back, assuring him that she would be there. Once that was done, she grabbed her gear - mask, some leftover kunai from her time in the Foot, her trusty hockey stick, her collection of ammo (both regular pucks and explosive ones, courtesy of Donatello) and of course her shoes with the retractable skates - and ran out her apartment door. 

With her stamina and speed, it didn’t take her very long at all for her to skate over to the address texted to her. Once there, she quickly realized that these were no ordinary pickpocketers. If the foam outfits didn’t tip her off, the screeching bug heads and multiple arms definitely would have. 

Of course, despite her lack of experience with mutants, this didn’t deter or intimidate Casey whatsoever. If anything, it just made her all the more excited!

“You fellers never learn do you?!” One of them (with comically fake and overly reddish muscles) shouted as he swung a broken off stop sign at the Raphs, disintegrating an aura clone with each attack, “You don’t-! Mess! With our TURF!”

“Hmph, I’ve got some bad news for you, birdie!” Raph shouted back, his defensive moves not faltering despite his self-created back-up now gone, “This may be your turf, but it’s OUR city!” With that, he switched to offensive and managed to grab the sign, pulling the cockroach forward before sucker punching him back.

As the cockroach stumbled, Raph then dropped to his knees, allowing Mikey the perfect shot to do one of his favorite moves. “Have a nice flight!” the box turtle grinned cheekily, his mystically enhanced chain now around the pickpocketer’s waist. One good whip, and the guy was sky high while Mikey himself landed safely on his big bro’s back.

Casey laughed a little. Now that she was on their side instead of fighting against them, she could truly appreciate the Turtles’ effective team-up moves. “Nice strategy!” 

“Oh, hey Casey!” Raph shouted, he and Mikey both now smiling at her with the latter giving a small wave, “And thanks! So, you ready to help us kick some butt?”

 _“Absolutely!”_ Casey grinned back before pulling down her mask, “There isn’t a criminal alive that can stop Casey Jones - and anyone foolish enough to try will have the honor of being defeated in the name of justice and _crushed underneath my wheels!_ ”

“...Well she sure seems enthusiastic!” Mikey commented while Raph just stared at her, “Way to show some Mad Dogs Spirit, CJ!”

“Uh, yeah. Just watch yourself out there, alright?” Raph added, “These guys have really beefed up since the last time we fought ‘em, and-”

“I’ve got it!” she snapped, “And-” Another one of the cockroaches managed to catch Leo in-between one of his teleports, knocking the blue turtle to the side and into a parked car. With the blue turtle temporarily stunned, the cockroach soon set their eyes on the trio. “I’ve got THEM!” As her brown eyes shone behind her mask’s eye holes with anticipation, Casey leapt into the fray, her stick at the ready. “FOOT CLA-!” 

She stopped, the words catching in her throat as she faltered ever so slightly. “H-Hot SOUP!” she yelled as she swung. If she hadn’t hesitated, it would have been a direct hit.

But instead, the bug-person managed to not only dodge, but deliver an attack of their own, grabbing onto her hockey stick with their pincer-like mouth. “Hey, get OFF!” Yanking the cockroach forward, she kicked them in the chest hard enough to get them to let go - though not without taking a small bite-sized chunk of her stick’s toe with them. “Oh, You are going to PAY FOR THAT!”

“Heh, thanks for the snack, kid,” the cockroach - male, apparently, with a costume that somewhat resembled that of a tough-guy dog character that she vaguely remembered from her childhood - said, munching on the old wood, “But you really shouldn’t have tried butting into a fight that’s mutants only!”

“You’re going to wish I hadn’t ‘butted in’ once I squish you like the NO-GOOD BUG THAT YOU ARE!” Casey tried swinging her stick at him again, and actually managed to hit him that time. Unfortunately, it took more than a trusty hockey stick to crack a mutant exoskeleton.

With a spitting hiss, the cockroach tried to wrestle her weapon out of her hand. Casey did her best to try and pull it out of his grip, but their strength was about on even footing. Fortunately, strength wasn’t her own attribute. Using her own grip as a balance, she swung her leg up high and kicked the roach thief right in the head. A couple more sucker punches, and she had knocked him right to the ground!

“Haha!” Casey grinned, standing on the bug’s stomach now with her stick held high, “Let this pain teach you a lesson: Whether against a human, mutant or yokai, no battle is too much for CASEY JO-!”

 _“CJ, heads up!”_ she heard Donnie shout. Casey turned, and got a blast of rocket-shaped purple aura to the face.

Tumbling back, she glared at the softshell. “HEY! What-?!”

“Sorry!” Donnie winced, though he was only half paying attention to her, since both he and his brothers were awestruck as the Atomic Lass-themed leader of the group (the one that Donnie had actually been trying to hit) began making her escape using the skies. She cackled, holding her bag of stolen goods close to her chest as her wings continued to buzz away. Having no other reason to fight, the other cockroaches soon followed, narrowly avoiding the Turtles’ attempts to tackle them and laughing along with her.

“I’m sorry, but since when can cockroaches fly?!” Leo asked incredulously.

“Well, normal cockroaches prefer simply crawling around, but I think the better question is how the _shell_ can those wings support a human-sized roach?!” Donnie shot back, “Even mutant wings shouldn’t be that strong! It’s like the thing with the bee all over again!”

“You can figure out the science later, we gotta stop them from escaping with the stuff they stole!” Raph reminded him, with Mikey already trying to wrap his chain around Atomic Roach to no avail. It may have had a huge extension range, but it could still be dodged. “Come on, maybe we can still grab ‘em!”

But as Raph was leading the way to a nearby fire escape, Casey kept her eyes on the sky. At the height they were already at and the speed at which they were flying, it would be a tricky shot. But since when had she let a little thing like the impossible stop her?

Reaching into her bag, Casey tossed down several pucks and got into position. “You bug-headed freaks are going down,” she mumbled, eyes narrowing. With another “HOT SOUP!”, she took her first shot.

It was good, great even, but not perfect. It hit one of the leader’s arms, but not hard enough to make her drop her bag. Casey took another shot, and that one completely missed.

“Fowl ball!” the muscled roach shouted at her as he laughed.

“THAT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE!” Casey screamed, launching another puck - with this one being an explosive one. While it too missed, the small explosion and cloud of smoke did slow them down a little enough for-!

 _*SHING!*_ That time it was not a puck but a sword that managed to hit the roach’s bag, piercing the side of it. In a blink of an eye, Leo appeared and grabbed the bag’s strap. “Thanks!” he grinned before teleporting away with the stolen goods.

Casey blinked, her arms stopping mid-swing. She had nearly forgotten that her teammates were still there...

“Hey!” Atomic Roach growled, and flew towards the rooftop that Leo had landed on, only to get knocked back by a purple beam. Almost instantly, another beam formed on the other side of the roaches, the two of them suddenly becoming flat squares that then came together like a pair of fly swatters.

“Heh, nice one Dee!” Raph smirked, watching as the half-squished roaches came tumbling down back to earth, “You’re really startin’ to get the hang of this mystic stuff, huh?”

“Yes, well, as much as I miss the feel of metal and chrome, being able to create constructs with my weapon is admittedly pretty sweet,” Donnie replied, giving his bo a bit of a twirl.

Once the pickpocketers were on the ground, Casey raced over to them to prevent them from possibly escaping, not caring how unlikely that actually was. Nevertheless, she guarded the four thieves as the Turtles made their way down. At least by doing that, it felt like she was doing something...

One trip to a nearby police station (as well as the dumpster outside the police station) later, and their mission was officially complete! “Nice work, team!” Raph nodded, looking pretty satisfied, despite a few of the items they had rescued getting slightly… stabbed. But eh, not the worst bit of collateral damage they’ve ever done. Frankly, he just hoped that everything eventually made it home to their rightful owners, whoever they were.

“Aaaand, I think we need to give a big cheer for Casey for her first official night as part of the Mad Dogs!” Mikey added, giving a not nearly as enthusiastic Casey a big hug, “Hip hip hurray, baby!”

The Turtles all seemed to agree with that, and raised their fists. “Hip hip-!”

_“Enough.”_

Mikey blinked, and took a good look at their frenemy turned actual friend. Casey’s eyes were locked to the ground, a far cry from how they had been earlier. 

“That battle was acceptable, at best,” Casey mumbled, squeezing her still-damaged hockey stick, “I was overconfident, careless, and- ugh, seriously, _what was with my aim?!_ ” It had been just fine at the Titan, but clearly she was still slightly rusty. That or that damn roach’s ‘snack’ had messed with her stick’s trajectory. She would have to visit the old ice rink tomorrow for some target practice, and maybe sporting goods store too...

“What do you mean? Dude, you had perfect aim with that explosion!” Leo argued, “It gave me just the opening I needed!”

“Given that I was trying to hit them, I still consider it a miss.”

The boys stared at her for a moment. “...Well uh, considering that we just wanna catch bad guys and not, you know, _blow them up_ , maybe it’s a good thing you missed,” Raph countered, “And besides, you still kicked some major butt, and you did much better than we did the first time we had a real fight outside of the dojo!”

“Yeah!” Mikey smiled, his expression softening a little as he looked at her, “So let yourself celebrate the stuff that went right, ‘cause you deserve it! Okay, Casey?”

“...” Casey thought about it, and sighed. “Fine… But only because I know how stubborn you are, and know that you probably wouldn’t let me do otherwise,” she said, elbowing Mikey in the stomach slightly. Mikey however just chuckled, giving her one last squeeze before breaking the hug.

Despite still not being completely satisfied with her performance, Casey accepted the Turtles offer to hang out at the Lair for a bit afterwards. She was already out, and if any part of her was in the mood to do schoolwork earlier, it definitely wasn’t in the mood for it now.

Stewing slightly as she skated behind them, she kept silent as they all headed downtown, not saying another word until they were back in the cozy and warm glow of the TV room’s projector, where Splinter handed her a cup of black tea. “...Thank you, Jitsu-sensei,” Casey told him before taking a sip.

Splinter chuckled. “You can just call me Splinter, you know. Or even just Lou or Yoshi, no need to be so formal.”

“...I’d rather not.”

“Suit yourself,” the rat shrugged. He then patted her shoulder before leaving her and the boys be, preferring to watch TV in his bedroom over whatever anime the Turtles were currently playing in the TV room. 

Already feeling a bit of tension release, Casey downed the rest of her drink in practically one gulp before curling up on the beanbag, hugging her skull-like goalie mask close to her chest and allowing herself to take deep, relaxing breaths. 

A part of her was still worried about possibly being her clan’s newest weak link (and if she was, she was going to make sure she wasn’t the weak link for much longer) but at the very least, the Hamato-Jitsus were good at making people feel welcomed.

They were her new clan, her new friends. There was no way she was going to let them down.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In some ways, fighting alongside the Turtles and April was just as satisfying as she thought it would be. The ‘fam’ was just as bombastic as their mystic weapons, and while Casey was still working on her own individual battle cries, she was more than willing to join theirs.

The fights became a bit easier too as she got more and more experience with fighting mutants. Sometimes Raph or Leo would have to remind her that they were just trying to stop bad guys and not take them out for good, and they’d still try to keep property damage to a minimum (as impossible as that seemed, at times) and would remind her to try and do the same. But other than that, the others seemed to accept her style of fighting. 

Maybe they just knew how hypocritical it’d be, considering how passionate and savage they were in certain fights. The Mad Dogs might have technically been ninjas, but they’d still hit hard and loud just as often as they hit soft and fast. In that sense, it felt like she fit right in. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean there wasn’t still any conflict between them all…

For one thing, when she had decided to join the Hamato Clan or Mad Dogs or whatever they felt like calling themselves, she had assumed that “kicking butt and stopping bad guys” would be something they’d do nightly. She quickly learned that this was far from the case.

Some nights they’d hang out at Run of the Mill or in the Lair. Other nights were activities such as basketball or swimming or skateboarding. And it wasn’t as if Casey didn’t enjoy these things - it had been IMMENSELY satisfying when she had stolen the ball from Leo and shot a successful three-pointer from half court, and while it wasn’t her favorite food ever she still couldn’t deny that Run of the Mill’s pizza was pretty great.

She had nothing against fun… but when it felt like they were having ‘fun’ every night and only occasionally going out on missions (usually only once or twice a week) or even patrol (hardly EVER!), it had begun to feel less like having a good time and more like simply wasting time.

Whether she tried to hide it or not didn’t really matter, the others could tell that Casey was beginning to get antsy and tensions were beginning to grow. She and April even started butting heads again, though that wasn’t much of a surprise. As similar as they were, they also had their differences, not to mention that April refused to put up with most things and wasn’t afraid to call Casey out while Casey tended to take everything as a personal attack whenever she was in a particularly bad mood.

The others tried to help, but not even a session with Dr. Feelings could seem to do much to relieve her anger. When she reached her boiling point, nearly throwing a kunai at Donnie’s head for a snarky remark, Raph decided it was time to take the situation into his own hands and dragged (practically carried) Casey to the dojo.

Casey’s temper continued to boil as they walked. She knew what was coming, and was stuck between letting it happen just to get it over with and fighting against it. This wasn’t her fault, they were the ones who just didn’t understand!

It was when they reached the door of the dojo that Raph finally said something. “Okay, CJ, look… I-”

Casey sneered, crossing her arms. “Let me guess, you’re going to tell me that I need to ‘chill out’?”

“No- well, yeah you do need to chill but-”

“But what?!” she snapped, “That I’m ‘too intense’? That I just need to _relax_ like the rest of you and that I need to change or- or get a hobby or whatever otherwise I’m out of the clan?! Is that it?!”

“No-”

“THEN WHAT IS IT?!” Casey screamed, her fists clenched.

Raph stared at her, completely calm. “...I was gonna say that you seemed a bit stressed out, and I think we should have a talk.” Casey’s eyes narrowed, but before she could argue, Raph continued. “Of course, I know it can sometimes take more than words to make someone un-stressed, and no offense to Mikey, but sometimes actions can even be better than words.”

“...And just what are you suggesting?” Casey asked.

Raph just smiled, and opened the door to the dojo. Casey glanced around at the basic training dummies that had been set up - good for some light training or a bit of Capture the Bandana, but that was all. Thankfully, what Raph had in mind was much more her speed.

“Helloooooo,” the snapper called out, “Hey, Buddy! You up?”

A moment passed, and the closet door in the back of the dojo opened up. “Buuuuddy?” Despite the symbol on his face being different, Casey recognized him immediately while Raph’s smile only grew at the sight of his favorite sparring partner. 

It had been such a relief when Frankenfoot had been found safe and sound in his little closet, having survived the destruction caused by the Shredder without even really knowing what had happened. After losing their home and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and Karai falling in battle, Frankenfoot’s survival had been the extra bit of brightness all of them - especially Raph - had needed.

“Hey, Buddy!” Raph greeted, “I got a friend here who could use a really good sparring sesh-” he gestured to Casey. They both waited for any sort of reaction, but whether it was due to how much time had passed since their last encounter or simply just her new, non-Foot outfit, Frankenfoot didn’t seem to have any negative reaction to Casey. “Think you could help her out?”

Frankenfoot giggled, clapping his hands. “Buddyyyyyy!” With that, he charged, causing Raph to leap out of the way and Casey to shift into a defensive position. She managed to block each of the paper-ninja’s heavy hitting punches, her eyes widening a bit at his strength.

“He’s- a lot more formidable- than I thought!” Casey commented, grunting a little with each block, “Much more than the average origami ninja!”

“Heh, yeah! Mike and I have been feedin’ him plenty of that high quality paper that you get at the specialty craft stores,” Raph shouted back, “And it’s really helped, I haven’t accidentally ripped any parts of him off in forever! So don’t be afraid to go all out, he can definitely take it!” Frankenfoot nodded at this, giving a small cheer before throwing another punch.

This time, Casey caught his fist and smirked back at her opponent. “My extreme pleasure.”

It was amazing how quickly time passed when you were literally punching your stress away. Of course, being sentient, fighting Frankenfoot was much more challenging and satisfying than simply hitting a punching bag over and over - especially once Raph joined in (which, to his credit, their fight just looked too fun for him to resist!).

But not even the three of them could fight forever, and after managing to pin BOTH of her opponents down, Casey finally called it a match as she took her foot off their backs and sat down on the cool, concrete floor. Frankenfoot giggled, sitting down next to her and giving her a congratulatory hug while Raph grabbed them a couple bottles of water from the dojo’s mini fridge.

“Feeling better?” he asked as he passed off one of the bottles.

“...I am,” Casey replied honestly, a small smile on her face.

Raph smiled back. “Good to hear.” He sat down on the other side of her, and the two of them quietly sipped their drinks while Frankenfoot sort of hummed to himself, off in his own little world. “...So, you up for a bit of talking then?”

Casey squeezed the bottle a bit, glancing away. She didn’t really want to talk, but she also knew that she had to if she didn’t want to ruin her chances with the rest of her new team.

“...I- I’m able to take a break. Sometimes,” she said, her voice quiet and stiff, a far cry from how she usually spoke, “And, I like having fun, but… Ugh, I just want to do MORE!” Now that she truly knew what her potential was - what she could do to actually help people without losing any part of herself - she was done with making compromises. “I don’t just want to train or- or fight a couple times a week. I want to do something that matters! Like… how resurrecting the Shredder and helping the Foot seemed to matter so much, or how saving Jitsu-Sensei mattered…”

Raph nodded patting her back. “I get what you mean…” After all, he wanted to be a hero too. “But we’re not the police. Or, I guess how the police are SUPPOSED to be, ugh…”

Casey smirked a little. “Bad experience?”

“You could say that, but it’d be an understatement.”

“I can sympathize. A few years ago I was nearly taken down to the station for being ‘difficult’ and picking fights. Never mind that I _wasn’t the one to start it!_ Ugh.” Then again, the officers and teachers at her old school always did seem to have a bone to pick with her.

“I got mistaken for a Hidden City criminal,” Raph stated, suddenly looking very tired, “Twice! Like, once was bad enough, but TWICE?”

“Harsh.”

“Tc’ch, yeah. Anyway, we’re not a police force or ‘soldiers’ or anything like that,” he told her, “We’re just a family that doesn’t like it when jerk mutants and evil foot-face cults try to bully our people and mess with our city. But that’s the thing, Casey, we only really go after the big threats. I mean, I’m not sayin’ they should get off scot free or anything but, having all six of us - more than that if we’ve got friends or Dad or Draxum with us - go after a mugger or a carjacker or whatever, that’s a bit overkill, don’t you think?”

Casey thought about it, and then gave a long sigh. “I guess.”

Raph smiled a little, patting her back again. “...But you know, while all of us going after minor threats would be kinda overkill, there’s nothing saying that one - or two - of us couldn’t do it some nights. You know, just to make sure things are staying safe.”

Suddenly, Casey was VERY curious. “...I take it you have experience with doing this?”

“Maybe,” Raph grinned, “Come on.” He led Casey out of the dojo, the two of them making sure to grab their water bottles so Frankenfoot didn’t dump the remaining liquid on himself. Once in Raph’s bedroom, the snapper showed her his black leotard - complete with red poncho! “Introducing, NYC’s favorite vigilante - the Red Angel of Preventing Harm!”

Casey was silent for a moment before giving him a dry look. “...You know that’s just your name, right?”

Raph stared back at her as the connection clicked. “...Oh. Huh, yeah, I guess the letters do make up my name. But that’s fine. Anyway, the others aren’t always interested in doing extra mission work, which is annoying but at least they’ve been getting better at showing up to actual missions. Anyway, I’ve kinda made the extra stuff my own thing to do and, well, I think you may enjoy it too.”

“You’re… inviting me to partner with you?” Casey asked, genuinely surprised. She then narrowed her eyes a bit. “Or would I just be your ‘assistant’?”

“Nah, we’d totally be partners!” Raph grinned, “Just the two of us, doing our part to punch the small-time baddies right off the streets! ...Though, just a heads up, even with puttin’ in the extra work to actually patrol and look for crimes that are happening, there are still quiet nights where you just sorta sit and watch, but… I wouldn’t mind the company. So, you in?”

Casey’s eyes were on the floor as she thought it over. Maybe it still wasn’t exactly perfect, but it did sound pretty nice. A chance to prove herself, to not only do what she was trained to do but also do what she _wanted_ to do.

Maybe that was why it still seemed like the best option, despite any flaws. After all, she herself didn’t quite know yet what exactly she was specifically striving towards in life. But whether it ended up being something temporary or a new chapter of her life, the idea of participating vigilante justice seemed to fit just right.

“...” She looked up, and gave Raph a smile filled with determination - and a bit of amusement. “I wouldn’t have to wear a poncho and jumpsuit while on patrol, would I?”

“Heh, nah,” Raph told her, smiling back at her, “You’ve already got a mask, so you’re good. So… meet at 11 p.m. at the old Eastman building?”

Casey bowed to the red turtle - who made sure to bow back - doing her best to hold back a full-on grin. “I’ll be there.”

With all of that settled, she walked out of Raph’s room - just in time to see April heading towards the Lair’s exit, her yellow backpack draped over her shoulder with Mayhem sleeping soundly in it. Casey felt her stomach do a bit of flip. “Hey!” she called out, perhaps a bit louder than necessary.

Still, April stopped, giving her a neutral look. “Yeah?” she asked as Casey walked over to her.

“I- I wanted to apologize! I was… stressed. And frustrated with a situation that I am still adjusting to,” Casey admitted, the guilt and slight embarrassment clear on her face, “But, that’s no excuse, and I acknowledge that I was being… difficult, and I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations out on you and our companions… especially after all you guys have done for me. So… I’m sorry.”

Casey then bowed deeply towards the other girl, waiting a few seconds before straightening up again. When their eyes met, she saw the small smile now on April’s face, which was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

“Hey, we’re cool,” April told her, “and, thanks for apologizing. That means a lot. Just make sure to apologize to the others too, alright?” Casey nodded, unsure of what else to say but still wanting to show her own gratitude. “...And hey, if you’re stressed, I think I may have an idea - if you’re interested.”

“Well, I already have plans with Raphael tomorrow night but… what did _you_ have in mind?” Casey asked.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Somehow, waiting in front of a simple apartment door was slightly more anxiety inducing than standing up to an armored demon.

Still, Casey steadied herself and knocked. A few seconds passed, and April opened the door. “Hey! Come on in!”

“Thanks,” Casey nodded, smiling a bit as she walked inside. Mayhem glanced up at her from his little cat tower in the corner, blinking sleepily before tucking his head back into his arm. From the kitchen, a woman looked up from the dishes she was washing.

“Hello there,” she greeted with a friendly smile, “You must be Cassandra.”

“Yes. It is nice to meet you, Mrs. O’Neil,” Casey replied, her voice polite (if a little stiff), “You- have a very lovely home!”

“Aw, thank you! And please, call me Renae,” she told her, “Kirby and I are going to be heading over to his sister’s for the night in a bit, so you girls can have the place to yourselves.” Renae then looked over at her daughter. “There’s money for takeout on the coffee table, just try not to get too much junk food, alright?”

“Heh, yeah, alright,” April agreed as she hugged her, “Thanks, Mama.” Once the hug ended, April led Casey - who hadn’t even put her bag down yet, as if waiting for permission to do so - to her room.

Slumber parties were entirely new territory for Casey, and the closest experience she’d had to a sleepover were the times where she and her teammates had fallen asleep on the bus on the way back from a late night game. But Casey Jones wasn’t intimidated easily, and April - who hadn’t steered her wrong yet in the weeks since she’d switched allegiances - had promised a good time, so Casey was up for it.

“Nice room,” Casey commented as she began to unpack, wanting to at least get her sleeping bag and a couple other small things out before she truly settled into the O’Neil home. “It must be nice, having your own bathroom.”

“Yeah, just as long as a certain someone doesn’t teleport into my mirror. Again. But yeah, thanks,” April smiled.

“...If you don’t mind me asking, who’s the guy with the big chin?” she asked, pointing at the old Channel 6 advertisement featuring Warren Stone that April had ripped out of a magazine and stuck on her wall years ago. “Is he the one who you want to train you in Journalism?”

April groaned, silently wishing that she hadn’t procrastinated at taking the old picture down. “Sort of but, I also just kind of admire his reporting and news anchor skills in general? Even though I REALLY shouldn’t be after a whole incident with him that I am so not getting into right now. Just, ugh, it’s a long story. Let’s just say I was reaaaaally into newscasters when I was younger.” She still was, actually, but Casey didn’t need to know that.

Casey smirked a little, giggling under her breath, but figured that she’d be a hypocrite if she teased April for her decor, given all the Lou Jitsu and Kristoff Von Bradford posters she had in her own room. “If you say so.”

“By the way, I’ve got a couple extra pillows and blankets in my closet, so if you need any-” April stopped, noticing the small assortment of knives Casey was currently hiding under her sleeping bag. Which, she had to admit, was a pretty convenient spot to keep them in case of a midnight ambush, but still- “You brought kunai to a slumber party.”

“I couldn’t fit my hockey stick or my spear in my bag.”

“Girl…”

Casey matched the look April was giving her. “Are you telling me that you _don’t_ bring your bat along with you most places, even on trips where you’re not expecting any hostile encounters or combat?”

“...” April’s own expression flattened a bit. “Alright, fair enough.”

“Heh, thought so.”

The third member of their slumber party arrived shortly after Casey did. Sunita was, in a word… bubbly. She was cheerful, eager and VERY friendly, though not in an obnoxious or aggravating way, thankfully. She sort of reminded Casey of Michelangelo, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She was also, as it turned out, a slime yokai - only taking off her brooch and revealing her true self once April’s parents were gone.

“...Huh,” was all Casey could really say. She still hadn’t met too many yokai or mutants outside of the Turtles, Splinter and the Baron. She hadn’t even known that yokai COULD magically disguise themselves, outside of simply hiding their features under clothes and hats or hoods.

“Heh, yyyyep!” Sunita said, rubbing the back of her neck as her previous confidence waned ever so slightly, “Just your normal, average Googlyschmootz girl with a cloaking brooch! Heh, well, maybe not _completely_ normal…”

“...Well, I’m an ex-evil clan member turned vigilante-in-the-making who fights using my old hockey equipment. And sometimes knives,” Casey stated, her casual yet blunt tone enough to make Sunita pause.

“...Really?”

“Yyyyyep.”

“Huh…” The slime girl smiled. “Cool!”

“Likewise,” Casey agreed, smiling back at her.

April chuckled, setting a bowl of M&Ms in the middle of the coffee table. “Glad we all agree that being normal is overrated for the most part. Also, it looks like we’ve got introductions out of the way. Guess that means we can start the party games now.”

The three of them played Never Have I Ever and a couple rounds of Would You Rather? Nothing too exciting, but enjoyable enough to properly break the ice.

Shortly after that, they turned on April’s game machine and played while they waited for their Chinese food to be delivered. Casey, as was to be expected, was a natural at fighting games while April was a wiz at Puyo Puyo and Bomberman. Despite their best efforts though, they were both thoroughly beaten in Mario Kart.

“It’s all in the thumbs!” Sunita grinned, giving them two slimy thumbs up as Yoshi the Dinosaur drove a victory lap.

Once the food arrived, they switched from competing to comparing, the three of them sharing various stories as they jumped from topic to topic. 

School (which they all could happily do without, save for a few favorite classes), part-time jobs (April had a ton of stories regarding those, with only half of them ending in her getting fired), battles (Casey definitely enjoyed hearing April and Sunita’s recounting of their little food fight with Meatsweats), sports games from their younger years (“You seriously broke BOTH your wrists just to win a hockey game?” “Wow, CJ, you are SO hardcore!” “And maybe a bit crazy, but still impressively hardcore.”) and even stuff as simple favorite foods and desserts.

Speaking of which, when they started feeling a bit peckish again, they all walked down to the gas station a couple blocks away together to grab some ice cream and candy. During their walk, Casey received a call on her phone, and quickly answered once she saw the caller I.D.

“Hello, Aunt Angel. ...Yes, I’m fine. ...Well, no but- but we’ll be back at her apartment after we get snacks!” She then sighed. “Yes, I know, I- ...We’re not running off, Aunt Angel! ...Yes, I’ll text as soon as we’re back at the O’Neils' place. I promise, we’re safe. ...Yes. ...I will.” Casey then gave another small sigh, though this one wasn’t quite as exasperated. “...I love you too, Aunt Angel.” April smiled a little as Casey shoved her phone back in her pocket. 

She had met Casey’s aunt a couple weeks ago when she and Mikey were picking Casey up for some fun. Admittedly, she had been a bit surprised by Angel’s purple-streaked black hair, but while she had only gotten to talk to her briefly, it didn’t take April very long to figure out just what kind of relative Angel was. Kind, supportive, only slightly overprotective and, if the stories Casey told her about her aunt’s younger years were true, pretty tough too. All in all, April was glad Casey had someone like that in her corner. Better than a couple of foot-face flame-heads, that was for sure.

Naturally, their treats prompted a mini sugar rush, which ended up fueling a pretty fierce (and fun) pillow fight, a bit of karaoke and plenty of laughs. At one point, Draxum yelled and stomped a couple times from the floor above, telling them to keep it down - which of course resulted in another fit of laughter.

It was around midnight, shortly after they’d all set up camp in April’s room and she had put one of her favorite movies on her small bedroom TV, that they all started to settle down into what Casey could only call a cuddle pile. Not the first one she’d ever been a part of - who would’ve thought turtles were so huggable? - but still unfamiliar enough to give her pause. 

Harsh light flickered across the faces of her companions, the two other girls sleeping peacefully as the movie continued to play. April had remembered to put on her bonnet before falling asleep, and Sunita was still in her true form, her brooch sitting near her bag.

As for Casey, she was just trying to get to sleep. She wasn’t used to falling asleep next to others, arms draped over her and heads leaning on her shoulder. She hadn’t given a second thought about her position as they were settling in, and while she still didn’t really mind it, a part of her was cursing her carelessness. It would be far too easy to accidentally disturb one of both of them, and Casey didn’t want to do that. 

She didn’t want to ruin such a perfect night, the earlier laughter from the three of them still ringing slightly in her ears.

Had this what she had been missing out on when she had decided to dedicate her life to training and improving herself, turning herself into a young soldier? It hadn’t seemed like much of a sacrifice at the time. She hadn’t exactly done much to fit in the years transitioning from elementary school to junior high, and while she did a better job fitting into her hockey team or being with her fellow black belts, she would still end up standing out in some sort of way.

_“There’s nothing wrong with being a tomboy, Casey… Trust me, you’ll find people who appreciate you the way you are, just like I do. Okay, kiddo?”_

Casey directed her eyes to the ceiling. The light of something below the apartment quickly passed by, briefly highlighting the plastic stars that had long since burnt out hanging above April’s bedroom floor. If she hadn’t joined the Foot and convinced her aunt to let her do homeschooling, would she have shared any classes with April or Sunita? Would they have been friends, or would they just be three strangers passing each other in the halls?

Or maybe they would have met earlier, and Casey would have found another place where she had a better chance of being herself without scrutiny sooner than she did. It was a nice thought, though not one built on anything more than hope. But what was that old saying? The best things were worth the wait?

Patience, while a virtue, was finite. She’d spent plenty of patience waiting - for a proper and successful solo mission, for a stupid foot-face tattoo, for power, for approval, for glory. She wished she hadn’t been so patient (hadn’t been so blind)... But, maybe when it came to things like this, the patience had been worth it in the end. 

In any case, she hoped she wouldn’t have to wait too long to attend another slumber party, confident that she’d be able to fit them in around homework, training, patrol and of course the occasional hangout/movie marathon night.

With a ghost of a smile now on her lips, Casey did her best to remember the meditation techniques that the Lieutenant had tried to teach her, and as her breathing slowed, she too began to slowly drift off to sleep.

Several hours later, she was woken up by the smell of eggs and toast and the sensation of drool on her cheeks as Mayhem licked all of their cheeks, but not even the latter could ruin the small sense of inner peace that had settled into her.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It had been years since she had visited her father’s grave. She had stopped visiting around the same time she ran into a couple of purple-skinned monks waiting for her after practice, the two of them more than happy to offer her an ’exciting opportunity’.

Casey took a deep breath, the cool autumn air filling her lungs. She pulled the hoodie she was wearing a bit closer to her as she crouched down. She lit two sticks of incense before sitting down on the dry grass.

“...Hey Dad,” she greeted, her voice just above a whisper. A breeze blew past her neck, and her confidence swelled. 

“Sorry for taking so long. I’ve… been busy.” Casey then chuckled. “I’m sure when you signed me up for pee wee hockey and talked about signing me up for taekwondo, you never would have expected… all of this. But, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve found a new path. I’ve found… new friends. Really good friends. You’d like them. Raphael and April, Michelangelo and Jitsu-Sensei, and all of the others… They’re-”

Her voice cracked a bit as she smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. “They’re _really_ great… They understand me, and… they let me know I’m not alone. That I’m okay just the way I am, and… that I can do the things I want, and I don’t need a sensei or a dark master or anyone else to give me permission to do so, and that I can make my own choices! And… I choose this.” And maybe her future choices wouldn’t always be the right ones, but this one DID feel right, and that was enough for her.

Clenching her fists and pulling up stray strands of grass, Casey took another deep breath. “I’ve had some rough years,” she admitted, “and I thought that if I just focused on my training and getting stronger, I would be fine… I took a wrong direction or two because of that. But, like I said, I’m on a new path now and… I’m good. Really good.”

Another breeze blew past her shoulders, and Casey sniffled. Moving to her knees, she pressed her hand to the tombstone and closed her eyes. “Don’t worry too much about me, okay? Heh, I’ve always been a fighter, you know? But now…” Now there was a whole new meaning to it. “I’ll be okay, and I hope you’re okay too… I love you, Dad.”

She stayed only a bit longer before standing up, not minding the faint green stains now on her pants. Home was a 45 minute bus ride away, and it would be another half hour or so before the next one came. Thankfully, Casey had a distraction. A custom Donnie-style smartphone was a bit more troublesome than a magic communicating crystal, but she was quickly getting used to it.

 _“I get you kinda want to have your own thing, but you’re already pretty memorable,”_ April had written, _“Why do you need a special battle cry?”_

“It’s about the intimidation!!” Casey texted back, “A way to strike fear in the hearts of your enemies from a distance!! It also just makes you feel good and ready for battle, you kno?”

_“Heh, yeah, I can definitely sorta get that.”_

“Besides, yOU have no room to talk >:/ you already have an effective battle cry. All you have to do is shout your name for people to know youre about to kick ass”

_“Aww, thanks Cas ^-^ Though, I don’t think Splints would mind if you keep using Hot Soup”_

“Yeah, I know… but I still want one of my own creation.”

_“*pats* I’m sure you’ll come up with something then!”_

**“I just talked to Mikey about it,”** Raph added, joining the group chat, **“he says to ‘listen to your heart’? Basically just let it come to you in the moment. Tho for the record, i think “CASEY JONEY AHOY!” works fine!”**

“Casey Joney???”

**“*Jones. Sorry, autocorrect!”**

“Still, i’m not a sailor Raphael :/” Casey told him while April simply texted _“LOL”_. Thinking about it, Casey then added, “But I will try to take Michelangelo’s advice. …maybe some training will clear my head?? >:)”

_“I’m in! Just let me finish up walking Mayhem so he naps while I’m gone, otherwise he’ll try teleporting into Draxum’s cupboards again...”_

**“I’ll pick u guys up in the tank in an hour! Get ready to rumble!!!”**

_“Nice! Heh, bout time we finally had a spar, huh CJ?”_

“Agreed,” Casey grinned, practically giggling with anticipation, “And don’t worry, Raph, I will be VERY ready to rumble! Victor gets to decide dinner, losers pay.”

 **“YOU’RE ON!”** _“Ditto!!!”_

Even if their virtual conversation couldn’t last the entire bus ride, Casey’s smile never faltered. When she got back home, the apartment was still empty, though three things were waiting for her on the table:

The first was a small, wrapped plate of her favorite cookies, courtesy of her aunt as an apology for taking such a late shift, with an attached sticky-note granting Casey permission to share the treats with her friends. The second was a postcard with a picture of a white and sandy Florida beach, complete with a smiley-face sun and a message on the back written in purple ink that she would have to read later. The postcard was attached to a small shoebox. When she opened it up, she found a pair of Foot-Brand sneakers staring back at her.

“Wow, they got really attached to the whole ‘shoe store’ thing,” Casey mumbled, though she couldn’t deny the small warmth she felt from each of the items. 

Maybe Foot sneakers weren’t as effective as her retractable skates, but she appreciated them nonetheless, slipping them on and carefully putting the plate of cookies in her bag before racing out the door and heading towards April’s place.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The full moon was high above the New York skyline, a single bold light amongst the darker parts of the city. The light bounced off her mask, giving it an almost glowing quality, further adding to the intimidation. Knowing this, Casey smiled a little under it as she continued to twirl her hockey stick, falling into each of her stances one by one.

In the middle of her katas, she felt something heavy land behind her. Casey didn’t even turn around, much less flinch. Instead, she only gave a small huff. “You’re late.”

The snapper sighed. “Yeah, I know. Donnie was testin’ out SHELLDON’s new body, trying to rush things along, and it ended up bein’ this whole thing,” Raph (or rather, R.A.P.H., if the light sound that she heard of a poncho flapping was any indication) told her, “But Shelly’s memories and data and stuff are all restored now, so we’re all pretty sure there won’t be any robot attacks tonight.

Raph then sat down next to her, sliding over a square box. “On the plus side, I was able to save you some pizza!”

“...Pepperoni and green peppers?”

“Yyyyep.”

“...Your tardiness is forgiven,” she told him, taking the box. 

Raph just chuckled. “You’re welcome.” But as delicious as the midnight snack was, she had only managed to get halfway through the first slice when they both heard the tell-tale signs of someone getting roughed up a couple alleys away. Of course, Casey was far from annoyed.

Getting to the alley only took seconds, the two of them arriving just as the poor guy called out for help. “Sorry pal,” one of the scumbags snickered, “Told you ya should’ve just made it easy on yourself. No one’s comin’ to help you now.”

“That’s what you think,” Raph mumbled, his eyes narrowing. He then gave Casey a smirk. “You ready to show these lawbreakers who’s _really_ in charge of this city?”

“Gladly,” Casey grinned wickedly. She leapt off the roof, her hockey stick held high as her heart soared. And as she fell towards the fray, ready to fight with all her might, there was only one word she could think to say.

“GOONGALAAAAAAAA!”

**THE END**


End file.
